I have forgotten what it feels like
to be so sure
like how you tell me
that zebras like figs
but only for breakfast
and how you will be
one of these zebras
when you grow up
or how one stick can be your granny
but when I pick another stick
and suggest it could be your aunt
you look at me
with pity
these days I am always
asking you questions
just to watch your face
as you sort the possibilities
and announce the winner
but when the ambulance drove past us
and I did my quick ritual
that I always do
to ward off grief
you dropped a rare question
into the air
mama, why do the sirens
take them away
and I thought later how easy
it should have been to answer
if not for my shadow of fear.